Even More Abandoned Staten Island
An Idiot’s Guide to the
Health Hazards of Urban Exploration

It’s always the staff quarters that are so much more accessible than other abandoned hospital parts. Sure they don’t promise the kind of eerie details so attractive to an urban explorer, but I enjoy the homeyness, the underpainting of comfort and safety as time and neglect peel the paint from the walls and yank at the lighting fixtures. And these quarters at the Bayley Seton Hospital are of the most crumbling rooms I’d ever set foot in.

I returned to the Bayley Seton Hospital assumed staff quarters with a goal in mind, having briefly explored it not too long ago. I wanted to go to the second floor. The second floor in an abandoned structure is always a risk. Especially when this is how the stairs look… and you’re quite certain the immense light source above is coming from a gaping hole in the roof.

I wouldn’t venture up. Partly because safety, partly because there was so much crispy, crunchy texture to capture on the ground floor.

Though this beautiful state of decay makes for a great photo, the very details of these rooms are health hazards. First there is asbestos. Asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral, was used rampantly as a building material after World War II. Perhaps you’ve been schooled on mesothelioma from the lawyer ads that have been airing for decades? It is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths in men who had prolonged and concentrated occupational exposure. Its tiny fibers lodge in the lung tissue and are a cause for cancer 15-35 years later. Asbestos is a microscopic danger to urban explorers who may inhale or swallow asbestos fibers upheaved in time’s breakdown of building materials. It does not neutralize or grow dormant with time. Its toxicity remains a threat indefinitely. Though short term exposure doesn’t often cause disease, exposure is cumulative. If you go long and go hard with urban exploration it’d be a good idea to wear a HEPA filter, rated P100. Though now is hard time to try to get your hands on any kind of filter! Just know that a handkerchief might look cool on your YouTube Bando channel, asbestos can go right through it. A real filter is definitely going to be on my Christmas List this year. Oh and since this is an idiot’s guide… and you may be an idiot… it also helps not to disturb building materials at all. Like in cemeteries, I am a no-touch urban explorer. I don’t stage shots, I don’t bring props, I certainly don’t vandalize or trash the place–these things would increase airborne asbestos. More here.

Another word about asbestos. It is sometimes the very reason why an abandoned structure still sits there decaying… why it has not been demolished. Asbestos abatement is very costly. Abatement on top of costs for demolition and construction, especially on these sprawling campuses would be a pretty penny. Which is why I suppose the Salvation Army, who owns the Bayley Seton Hospital, has not moved ahead with doing anything as of yet. The latest news I can find is that New York City wants to buy it to build a homeless shelter that would tick less community members off than the plan they have to build one on Victory Blvd… next to Crack Park.

Another hazard for urban explorers, lead paint. Ah, lead paint… yet another scary topic for lawyer advertisements! Lead is a toxic metal that was used in paint in structures built prior to 1978 says HUD. With deteriorating paint peeling everywhere, it’s important to be aware of not… eating it. Now this may sound like a no brainer, but eating is not only sitting down to a table with a knife and fork in hand with your Bando handkerchief now tucked in your shirt. It could get on your hands, either directly or indirectly, which then can make their way to your mouth at some point. Your clothing, equipment, equipment bag, shoes, etc can all make direct contact with lead. It supposedly takes a lot of lead to be harmful, but enough exposure can cause some serious health issues–like brain damage. And you need that thing! So stop touching stuff, wash your hands as soon as you can after exploring, change your coat. And buying that steampunk face mask with a P100 rating for asbestos can also stop you from eating lead.

How fitting to now talk about mold now that we are in the bathroom! Now I’ll admit: my shower tiles look worse than these tiles. 😬

Mold can cause a range of ailments for those sensitive or allergic to it. It is something to notice and to monitor. If you’re able to isolate mold as the cause of stuffy nose, wheezing, and red or itchy eyes, or skin, and not the million other things that can cause those symptoms, you may need to adjust where you explore. From the CDC, who we’re all listening to right now: “People with immune suppression or underlying lung disease are more susceptible to fungal infections. Individuals with chronic respiratory disease (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, asthma) may experience difficulty breathing. Individuals with immune suppression are at increased risk for infection from molds.” (So can we also listen to the CDC when they say increased consumption of all meat, red meat, poultry, and processed meat is associated with an increase risk of cancer? Just saying.)

And since we remain in the bathroom, the next thing to be careful about is… poop. Not our own but en masse poop from various animals who may visit or infest an abandoned structure.

So besides animal poop causing two thirds of human pathogens and three quarters of emerging pathogens (source), our relationship to animals, including eating them, has created all kinds of horrible consequences. The demand for animal products (not just red meat–but all meat, dairy and poultry) is tremendous, resulting in animal agriculture being a profit-driven big business. Factory farming (and the poop-related outbreaks they cause like Listeria and E. coli), as well as pandemic flus and virus diseases (Ebola, bird flu, swine flu, SARS, HIV/AIDS and, oh hey!, the Coronavirus!) are a symptom of imbalance, an unhealthy environment where one species (you know who) asserts dominance much to the chagrin of its own long term interest as a member of this here Earth. Well! Who knew you would walk into a vegan rant in the middle of an urban exploration post?! I am Vegan Victuals all the time. #sorrynotsorry. Ok, let me get back to the dried animal poop in piles in abandoned structures…

Rats, bats, pigeons, etc all may utilize an abandoned building as a toilet. Compound this with years of neglect and you could have a serious poop problem. Fungus and viruses born of the dried dung creates are airborne and can cause serious illnesses like, Hantavirus and Histoplasmosis. Another reason to put that mask on. The mask will block that sh*t.

So I convinced myself to get a mask by typing all that. But now let’s shift gears to appreciating just how unique squalid conditions can play with visual elements: texture, color, space, line, form, and shape.

The green blinds were a nice touch, as was the volley ball in the fire place.

This pattern of decay on the wall reminds me of children running in a field… holding hands.

This time the front door was wide open to Vanderbilt avenue…

I love these cottages as my fish eye can grab the entire room, along with the ceiling

And there’s always built-ins

Another bathroom

I feel like these structures will be gone soon. I don’t know, I just feel it. I am thankful for a successful quick trip back to Bayley Seton Hospital. It’s almost as if this easily accessible structure exists as a training ground for urban exploration. It’s seems safe and it’s not secluded nor vandalized. But looking at these debris-filled shots, I probably won’t return until I have a mask.

And with that, I’m not done with Staten Island yet. The place has so much for a photographer of the decrepit. Next up, the water front of Rosebank.